Portugal childsex trial adjourned till December 9

Closing arguments for the prosecution in Portugal's longest trial, over sexual abuse at Lisbon's Casa Pia children's home, have been adjourned until December 9, the judge said.

Since Monday, prosecutor Joao Aibeo has been summing up his arguments for the conviction of three of the seven accused over the sexual abuse of 32 boys at the institution -- set up in the 18th century to help children in difficulty.

Carlos Silvino, known as "Bibi", is accused of nearly 100 cases of sexual abuse against children, two counts of aggravated rape, as well as procuring minors for wealthy clients. The former Casa Pia driver and gardener is charged with more than 600 crimes in all.

Silvino, the only one of the seven to have admitted his guilt, sought Wednesday to clarify his accusations against former assistant head of Casa Pia Manuel Abrantes -- the only co-accused he had not yet directly implicated.

Aibeo called on the court to convict Abrantes along with former star TV presenter Carlos Cruz and doctor Joao Ferreira Diniz -- all guilty according to him of having sexually abused children.

On December 9, the prosecutor will deliver his closing argument against the other three accused: a former ambassador, a lawyer, and the owner of a house in southeast Portugal where, according to the victims, orgies were held.

The Casa Pia scandal broke in November 2002 when one of the interns told the press she had been raped by Silvino.

Centering on Portugal's most famous orphanage and involving high-profile suspects ranging from a former ambassador to a television personality, it is now the longest trial in Portuguese legal history.

The trial, which opened in November 2004, entered its final phase on Monday.

"It's a solemn moment for me and the victims who, at last, believe that the trial is going to end," said Catalina Pestana, who was named headmistress of the Casa Pia in Lisbon after the scandal erupted in 2002.

"I am calm. The men and women of justice have had sufficient time to reach their own conclusions," Pestana, who gave up her job at Casa Pia in May 2007 and now represents the 32 victims, said on Monday.

After the closing arguments for the prosecution, the court will hear from lawyers in the civil case, then from those of the accused. The verdict is not expected until February 2009.

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